Improligua – foreign language in a cheerful form Erasmus Project

Project Title

Improligua – foreign language in a cheerful form

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Partnerships for Creativity

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Creativity and culture; Teaching and learning of foreign languages; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

The goal of this project is pupils’ skill development by means of creativity and art. Our project is focused on implementation of dramatic-improvisatory techniques (activities used in theatrical improvisation) into teaching of foreign languages (Eng) in primary and secondary schools.

The project responds to low level (efficiency) of gained skills when the real achievment of language level does not correspond to minimal required level of language skill output.
It is still evident that there is significant focus on frontal and informative teaching at the expanse of natural communication in the Czech republic and partners’ countries.
Application of interactive elements is used more as for variety’s sake than a thought-out step in the process of teaching. The attention is paid primarily to grammatical correctness which causes fears of communication. Pupils are anxious about making mistakes and form inhibition of using foreign language in practice.

We would like to change such an approach with our project and develop language skills using our dramatic-improvisatory techniques. It is a modern and entertaining teaching method which, besides foreign language development and elimination of fear to communicate, offers more of positive impacts on social integration with further relation to future employment. It encourages pupils to think creatively and logically, solve problems with an active attitude, react quickly to unexpected situations. It teaches pupils to communicate in an effective and open way, develops the ability to cooperate and to have respect for own as well as others’ effort and success. It is in the substance of this method to encourage and support pupils at all levels of knoweldge within one class.

The objective of this project is to create a comprehensive system of improvisation techniques employment into regular teaching (including methodology and video tutorials), to train teachers and to implement these techniques into their practice. In the framework of partial activities, there will be complete methodological and didactic support provided to the participating teachers.
The project would be divided into three phases:
1. Preparation of comprehensive set of tools needed for systematical teachers’ training, i.e.: comprehensive methodology, webinars, video tutorials and video exercises, which will be at full disposal digitally on the website.
2. Transfer into practice – application of inovative techniques in teaching. The teacher (10) will be trained and implemented inovative techniquesinto English lessons at least in three classes (20% of teaching time in 6 months). During the whole realization, the teachers will be provided with methodological support and supervision of the Realization team. The teachers will provide backfeed to optimize particular techniques.
3. Teachers’ training and dissemination. There will be prepared:
– seminars/webinars for other teachers to spread the method among a wide group of potential users. The seminars/webinars will contain techniques manuals (including principles, individual exercises and practical examples);
– publicity to spread information about the techniques and opportunities of their utilization in practice.

We would like to realize the project with partners from Poland and Slovakia who we cooperate in the field of theatrical improvization with. Both countries encounter similar educational problems. Nevertheless, there are different approaches to work style, types of improvisation exercises, which is mainly inluenced by different mentality and sense of humour. Therefore, it is a welcome value-add to involve our partners in the project from its beginning, i.e. when the materials will be prepared, so they become easily transferable to these countries. Such prepared materials will respect all regional specifics and we can utilize our partners’ experience, interesting ideas and inspiring methods which are not used in our country.

Outputs:
1. Comprehensive set of preparation for improvisation techniques utilization
– methodological manual (in digital form)
– didactical support (in digital form-video tutorials, video manuals, for 36 exercises), i.e.: improvisation exercises, work methods in the form of dramaplays, team activities with application of improvisation elements
– 6 recorded webinars at disposal on public website created for preparation after the project is finished
– web application where all the outputs will be provided
2. Implementation
– arrangement of 1 meeting for 10 teachers of our partners, in the extent of 8 hours
– 3 participating schools (3 classes in each school) where the techniques will be applied for 6 months in the minimal extent of 20% of teach
– 150 pupils of language learning
3. Traing activities for teachers and dissemination
– arrangement of 3 seminars for at least 30 other teachers (alternatively live webinars), in the extent of 4 hours/each
– 3 conferences
– documented publicity intended for the output dissemination

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 99359 Eur

Project Coordinator

ODVAZ divadlo improvizace z.s. & Country: CZ

Project Partners

• Sukromna zakladna umelecka skola Mileticova 17/B,DomT&D,Bratislava
• Fundacja Interstellar